John Wick 2
“You stabbed the devil in the back and forced him back into the life that he had just left. You incinerated the priest’s temple. Burned it to the ground. Now he’s free of the marker, what do you think he’ll do? He had a glimpse of the other side and he embraced it. But you, Signor D’Antonio… took it away from him.”
– Winston (from the film “John Wick 2”)
Since our brother Johnny blew up most of the Russian mafia of San Francisco in the first part (and found a new dog), all that remained was to recover his beloved “Mustang,” by blowing up the remaining part of the mafia led by Abram Tarasov (brother of the now deceased Viggo Tarasov)… which he did. He leaves the car with the mechanic (Aurelio) and returns home, to peacefully continue keeping the memory of his late wife.
However, hotel manager Winston’s warning that “coming out of retirement will have consequences for John” comes true the same evening when he returns home, because Santino D’Antonio, leader of the Camorra, visits him. Santino “reluctantly” presents John with a medallion (marker), obligating him to fulfill his blood oath and perform a task for Santino. John, although he knows that calling on the medallion means the obligation must be fulfilled, refuses, with the simple explanation that he hasn’t returned to “business,” but was just finishing a “private obligation.”
Santino accepts John’s decision… and then blows up John’s house with a grenade launcher… with John in it. Fortunately, John and dog number two survive, and now they’ve headed to the “Continental” hotel to find out where Santino is. However, manager Winston reminds him there are two rules that must never be broken: no killing within the hotel and every marker must be honored (when the return of a favor is requested).
John (reluctantly) agrees to fulfill his obligation. But what Santino asks of him is madness: John must kill Santino’s sister, the (real) leader of the Camorra, who’s also one of 12 members of the “High Table” council which actually rules the entire criminal underworld and which everyone (including fearless John) fears and simultaneously respects.
On the other hand, upon completing his task, nothing prevents John from killing Santino for “dragging” him back into this world. However, at the moment of completing the (almost) impossible task, Santino decides to “avenge” his sister and turns the entire mafia against John, while simultaneously “opening a contract” and offering seven million dollars for John’s head, meaning his former colleagues (professional assassins) can now whack him and make good money. And now the race for John’s head begins, priced at seven million.
In translation, John is now in a “one against all” situation.
And whether John can get out of this situation, you’ll find out if you watch “John Wick 2”! 🙂
The sequel, like its predecessor, is excellent. It successfully maintains the high tempo set by the previous part.
The plot is solid (and simple), but what makes “John Wick 2” especially interesting is that it gives us a more thorough insight into the underworld of professional assassins.
So we learn that John, precisely thanks to Santino’s assistance, managed to perform the impossible task for Viggo Tarasov, which enabled his “exit” from the assassin world.
We see there are some rules that must not be broken under any circumstances.
Also, we learn a bit more about the “High Table” council, as well as some other criminal organizations which, though not on the “Council” (but must serve it), are still very dangerous, like the “Bowery King.” After learning about this organization you’ll look differently at beggars on the streets, I guarantee it. 😅
We’ll see what the Roman version of the “Continental” looks like and its manager Julius. And what services and “services” the hotel provides its customers. For example, the sommelier at the “Continental” knows something more than recommending wine…
And finally, we’ll discover how famous John Wick actually is (and very valued) in his profession, and why the news that he’s apparently “back in business” resonated quite loudly.
Visually, the film is still dark (both figuratively and literally) with the neo-noir vibe, but it’s also a nice refreshment that a good part of the film is moved to Rome, and absolute praise for the visual depiction of events in the Baths of Caracalla.
The action also remained top-notch. John will shoot with various types of firearms, as well as knives, and there’s good old fistfighting mixed with judo/jiu-jitsu/Krav Maga style… and we’ll have the chance to see firsthand that it’s not a myth that John can kill with an ordinary graphite pencil. We’ll see how John fights with a crowd of Camorra members in “one against all” style, but also one-on-one showdowns with his colleagues (both in public places and hidden from public eyes). Even now John isn’t invulnerable so he’ll be beaten, thrown down stairs, hit by cars (opponents really seem to love “doing” that to him).
As for acting… for brother Keanu there’s nothing to add, he maintains the high level of action, does almost all dangerous scenes himself, has preserved that charisma of a man who says a lot with few words. Simply, this kind of role as an action (anti)hero suits him great.
Winston and Charon get a bit more screen time and further expand the story around the “Continental” and are as always excellent.
One of the pleasant surprises is also the appearance of Laurence Fishburne as the eccentric Bowery King. The Hollywood legend (“The Matrix,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “Hannibal,” “Black-ish”) is excellent in the role of “king of beggars,” with dramatic and exaggerated, almost theatrical reactions, yet full of sarcastic one-liners, and his character is definitely one of the more interesting in the “John Wick” universe.
Rapper/actor Common (“Wanted,” “Suicide Squad,” “Smokin’ Aces”) was also interesting in the role of Cassian, professional assassin/bodyguard, who later enters into conflicts with John Wick.
Also solid was Riccardo Scamarcio (mostly known in Italian cinematography, I’d never heard of him to be honest) as mafia boss Santino D’Antonio. On the other hand, Ruby Rose (“Batwoman”) in the role of Santino’s mute bodyguard Ares didn’t leave any impression on me at all.
I’d mention comedian Peter Serafinowicz as the sommelier (“The Tick,” “Shaun of the Dead,” and by the way he’s also lent his voice to characters in numerous animated series and video games). Although he literally had only a few minutes of scenes, he was brilliant to me in how he behaved and spoke while presenting weapons as if they were wines.
It must be admitted that director Chad Stahelski quite established himself in Hollywood with the “John Wick” films as a man who knows how to make good action titles.
All in all, “John Wick 2” maintained the excellent tempo of the previous part and from me has a big recommendation to watch it, and then immediately continue to “John Wick 3”. 🙂
And finally, a few interesting facts:
- Brother Keanu again did almost all scenes in the film (except where a car hits him and he falls down stairs in the fight with Cassian)
- In preparation for the film, Keanu intensively trained judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, shooting and driving for three months… actually, there wasn’t much need for more preparation, because he already prepared like a maniac for the first part
- The film earned double what the first part did (budget 40 million – earnings 174 million dollars)
- The DJ in Rome is artist Le Castle Vania, who did the music for both parts
- This was the first time Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne met on the big screen since the film “Matrix Revolutions” (2003)
- The film has many references to Greek and Roman mythology and culture through the names of many deities and historical figures
- A full 12 minutes passed before John Wick shot anyone in this film
And you, dear reader, which character was interesting to you in “John Wick 2”? 🙂
Trailer | Imdb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic
Format: Film | Premiere: 2017 | Runtime: 122 minutes
